Opera Nazionale Balilla

The Opera Nazionale Balilla (ONB) was the youth wing of the National Fascist Party of Italy, functioning between 3 April 1926 and 1937. The ONB was named for Giovan Battista Perasso, a Genoese boy who led the 1746 revolt against the Austrians in the city. The ONB was organized in three main sections: the Balilla (8-15-year-old boys), the Avanguardie (15-18-year-old boys), and the Piccole Italiane (for girls). Its purpose was to organize and educate a new fascist generation loyal to Mussolini. However, it struggled to become the predominant national youth movement, as the youth organizations of the Catholic Church remained popular among the youths. In 1928, all other youth organizations were outlawed, and it was renamed GIL in 1937.